Germanium-silicon light sensing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A method for fabricating an image sensor array having a first group of photodiodes for detecting light at visible wavelengths a second group of photodiodes for detecting light at infrared or near-infrared wavelengths, the method including forming a germanium-silicon layer for the second group of photodiodes on a first semiconductor donor wafer; defining a first interconnect layer on the germanium-silicon layer; defining integrated circuitry for controlling pixels of the image sensor array on a semiconductor carrier wafer; defining a second interconnect layer on the semiconductor carrier wafer; bonding the first interconnect layer with the second interconnect layer; defining the pixels of an image sensor array on a second semiconductor donor wafer; defining a third interconnect layer on the image sensor array; and bonding the third interconnect layer with the germanium-silicon layer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.15/228,282, filed Aug. 4, 2016, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/200,652, filed Aug. 4, 2015, U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/209,349, filed Aug. 25, 2015, U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/210,946, filed Aug. 27, 2015, U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/210,991, filed Aug. 28, 2015, U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/211,004, filed Aug. 28, 2015, U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/217,031, filed Sep. 11, 2015, U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/251,691, filed Nov. 6, 2015, andU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/271,386, filed Dec. 28, 2015.The disclosures of the prior applications are considered part of and areincorporated by reference in the disclosure of this application.

BACKGROUND

This specification relates to detecting light using a photodiode.

Light propagates in free space or an optical medium is coupled to aphotodiode that converts an optical signal to an electrical signal forprocessing.

SUMMARY

A photodiode may be used to detect optical signals and convert theoptical signals to electrical signals that may be further processed byanother circuitry. Photodiodes may be used in consumer electronicsproducts, image sensors, data communications, time-of-flight (TOF)applications, medical devices, and many other suitable applications.Conventionally, silicon is used as an image sensor material, but siliconhas a low optical absorption efficiency for wavelengths in thenear-infrared (NIR) spectrum or longer. Other materials and/or materialalloys such as germanium and germanium-silicon may be used as imagesensor materials with innovative optical device structure designdescribed in this specification. According to one innovative aspect ofthe subject matter described in this specification, a photodiode isformed using materials such as germanium or germanium-silicon toincrease the speed and/or the sensitivity and/or the dynamic rangeand/or the operating wavelength range of the device. In one embodiment,photodiodes formed using germanium or germanium-silicon and photodiodesformed using silicon may be integrated on a common substrate to yield aphotodiode array having a greater operating wavelength range.

According to another innovative aspect of the subject matter describedin this specification, light reflected from a three-dimensional objectmay be detected by photodiodes of an imaging system. The photodiodesconvert the detected light into electrical charges. Each photodiode mayinclude multiple gates that are controlled to collect the electricalcharges. The collection of the electrical charges controlled by themultiple gates may be altered over time, such that the imaging systemmay determine the phase and other information of the sensed light. Theimaging system may use the phase information to analyze characteristicsassociated with the three-dimensional object including depth informationor a material composition. The imaging system may also use the phaseinformation to analyze characteristics associated with eye-gesturerecognition, body-gesture recognition, three-dimensional modelscanning/video recording, and/or augmented/virtual reality applications.

In general, one innovative aspect of the subject matter described inthis specification can be embodied in an image sensor array including acarrier substrate; a first group of photodiodes coupled to the carriersubstrate, where the first group of photodiodes include a firstphotodiode, and where the first photodiode includes a semiconductorlayer configured to absorb photons at visible wavelengths and togenerate photo-carriers from the absorbed photons; and a second group ofphotodiodes coupled to the carrier substrate, where the second group ofphotodiodes comprise a second photodiode, and where the secondphotodiode comprises a germanium-silicon region fabricated on thesemiconductor layer, the germanium-silicon region configured to absorbphotons at infrared or near-infrared wavelengths and to generatephoto-carriers from the absorbed photons.

This and other implementations can each optionally include one or moreof the following features. The first group of photodiodes and the secondgroup of photodiodes may be arranged in a two-dimensional array. Eachphotodiode of the first group of photodiodes and the second group ofphotodiodes may include a respective wavelength filter configured totransmit a portion of received light and a respective lens elementconfigured to focus the received light.

The first photodiode may include a first carrier-collection regionconfigured to collect a portion of the photo-carriers generated by thesemiconductor layer; a first readout region coupled to a first readoutcircuitry, the first readout region configured to provide thephoto-carriers collected by the first carrier-collection region to thefirst readout circuitry; and a first gate coupled to a first controlsignal that controls a carrier transport between the firstcarrier-collection region and the first readout region. The secondphotodiode may include a second carrier-collection region configured tocollect a portion of the photo-carriers generated by thegermanium-silicon region; a second readout region coupled to a secondreadout circuitry, the second readout region configured to provide thephoto-carriers collected by the second carrier-collection region to thesecond readout circuitry; and a second gate coupled to a second controlsignal that controls a carrier transport between the secondcarrier-collection region and the second readout region.

The second photodiode may include a third readout region coupled to athird readout circuitry, the third readout region configured to providethe photo-carriers collected by the second carrier-collection region tothe third readout circuitry; and a third gate coupled to a third controlsignal that controls a carrier transport between the secondcarrier-collection region and the third readout region. The secondphotodiode may include a fourth readout region coupled to a fourthreadout circuitry, the fourth readout region configured to provide thephoto-carriers collected by the second carrier-collection region to thefourth readout circuitry; and a fourth gate coupled to a fourth controlsignal that controls a carrier transport between the secondcarrier-collection region and the fourth readout region. The secondphotodiode may include a fifth readout region coupled to a fifth readoutcircuitry, the fifth readout region configured to provide thephoto-carriers collected by the second carrier-collection region to thefifth readout circuitry; and a fifth gate coupled to a fifth controlsignal that controls a carrier transport between the secondcarrier-collection region and the fifth readout region. The first gatemay be for an image sensing application, and at least two gates of thesecond gate, the third gate, the fourth gate, and the fifth gate may befor a time-of-flight application.

The first carrier-collection region may include a p-n junction and thesecond carrier-collection region may include a p-i-n junction configuredto collect electrons. The first readout region and the second readoutregion may be n-doped regions.

The image sensor array may include an oxide layer planarized across thefirst group of photodiodes and the second group of photodiodes, wherethe germanium-silicon region is embedded in the oxide layer. The firstphotodiode may be configured to collect electrons and the secondphotodiode may be configured to collect holes.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in thisspecification can be embodied in a method for fabricating an imagesensor array having a first group of photodiodes for detecting light atvisible wavelengths a second group of photodiodes for detecting light atinfrared or near-infrared wavelengths, the method including growing agermanium-silicon layer on a semiconductor donor wafer; defining pixelsof the image sensor array on the germanium-silicon layer; after definingthe pixels of the image sensor array, defining a first interconnectlayer on the germanium-silicon layer, where the interconnect layerincludes a plurality of interconnects coupled to the first group ofphotodiodes and the second group of photodiodes; defining integratedcircuitry for controlling the pixels of the image sensor array on asemiconductor carrier wafer; after defining the integrated circuitry,defining a second interconnect layer on the semiconductor carrier wafer,where the second interconnect layer includes a plurality ofinterconnects coupled to the integrated circuitry; and bonding the firstinterconnect layer with the second interconnect layer, such that thefirst group of photodiodes and the second group of photodiodes arecoupled to the integrated circuitry.

This and other implementations can each optionally include one or moreof the following features. The method may include removing at least aportion of the semiconductor donor wafer through polishing. The methodmay include forming lens elements on the semiconductor donor wafer,where each of the lens elements may be arranged to guide light to arespective photodiode of the image sensor array. The method may includeforming wavelength filters on the image sensor array, where each of thewavelength filters may be formed for a respective photodiode of theimage sensor array.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in thisspecification can be embodied in a method for fabricating an imagesensor array having a first group of photodiodes for detecting light atvisible wavelengths a second group of photodiodes for detecting light atinfrared or near-infrared wavelengths, the method including definingpixels of an image sensor array on a semiconductor donor wafer;depositing an insulating layer on the semiconductor donor wafer;defining, on the insulating layer, regions for the second group ofphotodiodes; growing a germanium-silicon layer on the regions for thesecond group of photodiodes; after growing the germanium-silicon layer,defining a first interconnect layer, where the interconnect layerincludes a plurality of interconnects coupled to the first group ofphotodiodes and the second group of photodiodes; defining integratedcircuitry for controlling the pixels of the image sensor array on asemiconductor carrier wafer; after defining the integrated circuitry,defining a second interconnect layer on the semiconductor carrier wafer,where the second interconnect layer includes a plurality ofinterconnects coupled to the integrated circuitry; and bonding the firstinterconnect layer with the second interconnect layer, such that thefirst group of photodiodes and the second group of photodiodes arecoupled to the integrated circuitry.

This and other implementations can each optionally include one or moreof the following features. To grow the germanium-silicon layer on theregions for the second group of photodiodes, the germanium-silicon layermay be formed by a selective epitaxial growth, such that thegermanium-silicon layer is embedded in the insulating layer; and thegermanium-silicon layer may be polished to planarize the insulatinglayer and the germanium-silicon layer. The method may include removingat least a portion of the semiconductor donor wafer through polishing.

The method may further include forming lens elements on thesemiconductor donor wafer, where each of the lens elements is arrangedto guide light to a respective photodiode of the image sensor array, andforming wavelength filters on the image sensor array, each of thewavelength filters formed for a respective photodiode of the imagesensor array.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in thisspecification can be embodied in a method for fabricating an imagesensor array having a first group of photodiodes for detecting light atvisible wavelengths a second group of photodiodes for detecting light atinfrared or near-infrared wavelengths, the method including forming agermanium-silicon layer for the second group of photodiodes on a firstsemiconductor donor wafer; defining a first interconnect layer on thegermanium-silicon layer, where the interconnect layer includes aplurality of interconnects coupled to the first group of photodiodes andthe second group of photodiodes; defining integrated circuitry forcontrolling pixels of the image sensor array on a semiconductor carrierwafer; after defining the integrated circuitry, defining a secondinterconnect layer on the semiconductor carrier wafer, where the secondinterconnect layer includes a plurality of interconnects coupled to theintegrated circuitry; bonding the first interconnect layer with thesecond interconnect layer; defining the pixels of an image sensor arrayon a second semiconductor donor wafer; after defining the pixels of theimage sensor array, defining a third interconnect layer on the imagesensor array; and bonding the third interconnect layer with thegermanium-silicon layer, such that the first group of photodiodes andthe second group of photodiodes are coupled to the integrated circuitry.

This and other implementations can each optionally include one or moreof the following features. The method may further include after bondingthe first interconnect layer with the second interconnect layer,removing the first semiconductor donor wafer. To form thegermanium-silicon layer for the second group of photodiodes on the firstsemiconductor donor wafer, a blanket layer of germanium-silicon may begrown on the first semiconductor donor wafer. The method may includeafter bonding the first interconnect layer with the second interconnectlayer, defining regions for at least the second group of photodiodes onthe germanium-silicon layer.

To form the germanium-silicon layer for the second group of photodiodeson the first semiconductor donor wafer, an insulating layer may bedeposited on the semiconductor donor wafer. Regions for the second groupof photodiodes may be defining on the insulating layer. Agermanium-silicon layer may be grown on the regions for the second groupof photodiodes.

Advantageous implementations may include one or more of the followingfeatures. Germanium is an efficient absorption material fornear-infrared wavelengths, which reduces the problem of slowphoto-carriers generated at a greater substrate depth when aninefficient absorption material, e.g., silicon, is used. An increaseddevice bandwidth allows the use of a higher modulation frequency in anoptical sensing system, giving advantages such as a greater depthresolution. An alloy germanium-silicon material as the opticalabsorption layer with innovative design provides higher opticalabsorption efficiency over conventional Si material, which may provide amore sensitive sensor in the visible and near-infrared spectrums, mayreduce crosstalk between neighboring pixels, and may allow for areduction of pixel sizes. A hybrid sensor design may supporttime-of-flight (TOF), near-infrared, and visible image sensing withinthe same sensing array. An increased device bandwidth allows the use ofa higher modulation frequency in a time-of-flight system, giving agreater depth resolution. In a time-of-flight system where the peakintensity of optical pulses is increased while the duty cycle of theoptical pulses is decreased, the signal-to-noise ratio can be improvedwhile maintaining substantially the same power consumption for thetime-of-flight system. This is made possible when the device bandwidthis increased so that the duty cycle of the optical pulses can bedecreased without distorting the pulse shape.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other potentialfeatures and advantages will become apparent from the description, thedrawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an example of a photodiode array.

FIG. 2 is an example of a photodiode array.

FIG. 3 is an example of a photodiode array.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are examples of a photodiode for detecting visible andinfrared light.

FIG. 5 is an example of a photodiode for detecting visible and infraredlight.

FIG. 6 is an example of a photodiode for detecting visible and infraredlight.

FIG. 7 is an example of a multi-gate photodiode.

FIG. 8 is an example of a multi-gate photodiode.

FIG. 9 is an example of a photodiode for detecting visible or infraredlight.

FIG. 10 is an example of an integrated photodiode array for detectingvisible and/or infrared light.

FIG. 11 is an example of an integrated photodiode array for detectingvisible and/or infrared light.

FIG. 12 is an example of an integrated photodiode array for detectingvisible and/or infrared light.

FIG. 13 is an example of an integrated photodiode array for detectingvisible and/or infrared light.

FIGS. 14A-14D illustrate an example of a design for fabricating aphotodiode array.

FIGS. 15A-15D illustrate an example of a design for forminggermanium-silicon.

FIGS. 16A-16D illustrate an example of a design with exemplaryfabrication of a photodiode array.

FIGS. 17A-17F illustrate an example of a design with exemplaryfabrication of a photodiode array.

FIG. 18A is a block diagram of an example of an imaging system.

FIGS. 18B and 18C show examples of techniques for determiningcharacteristics of an object using an imaging system.

FIG. 19 shows an example of a flow diagram for determiningcharacteristics of an object using an imaging system.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicatelike elements. It is also to be understood that the various exemplaryembodiments shown in the figures are merely illustrative representationsand are not necessarily drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Photodiodes may be used to detect optical signals and convert theoptical signals to electrical signals that may be further processed byanother circuitry. In general, a material absorbs light at variouswavelengths to generate free carriers depending on an energy bandgapassociated with the material. For example, at room temperature, siliconmay have an energy bandgap of 1.12 eV, germanium may have an energybandgap of 0.66 eV, and a germanium-silicon alloy may have an energybandgap between 0.66 eV and 1.12 eV depending on the composition. Ingeneral, a material having a lower energy bandgap has a higherabsorption coefficient at a particular wavelength. If the absorptioncoefficient of a material is too low, the optical signal cannot beconverted to an electrical signal efficiently. However, if theabsorption coefficient of a material is too high, free carriers will begenerated near the surface of the material, which may be recombined toreduce efficiency. Silicon is not an efficient sensor material for NIRwavelengths due to its large bandgap. On the other hand, germanium hasan absorption coefficient that may be too high for shorter wavelengths(e.g., blue), where free carriers may recombine at the surface. Aphotodiode array that integrates silicon and germanium/germanium-siliconon a common substrate, where a photodiode array uses silicon to detectvisible light and uses germanium or germanium-silicon to detect NIRlight, would enable the photodiode array to have a wide detectionspectrum. In this application, the term “photodiode” may be usedinterchangeably as the term “optical sensor”. In this application, theterm “germanium-silicon (GeSi)”, “silicon-germanium (SiGe)” may be usedinterchangeably, and both include all suitable SiGe compositioncombinations from 100% germanium (Ge) to more than 90% silicon (Si). Inthis application, the GeSi layer may be formed using blanket epitaxy,selective epitaxy, or other applicable technique. Furthermore, astrained super lattice structure including multiple layers such asalternating SiGe layer with different compositions may be used for theabsorption or forming a quantum well structure.

FIG. 1 is an example a photodiode array 100 where germanium orgermanium-silicon photodiodes are integrated with silicon photodiodes.An optical image sensor array is an example of a photodiode array. Thephotodiode array 100 includes a substrate 102, an integrated circuitlayer 104, an interconnect layer 106, a sensor layer 108, a filter layer110, and a lens layer 112. In general, light of a single wavelength ormultiple wavelengths enters the lens layer 112, where the light may befocused, collimated, expanded, or processed according to the lensdesign. The light then enters the filter layer 110, where the filterlayer 110 may be configured to pass light having a specific wavelengthrange. The photodiodes in the sensor layer 108 converts the incidentlight into free carriers. The integrated circuit layer 104 collects thefree carriers through the interconnect layer 106 and processes the freecarriers according to the specific application.

In general, the substrate 102 may be a silicon substrate, asilicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate, or any other suitable carriersubstrate materials. The integrated circuits of the integrated circuitlayer 104 and the interconnects of the interconnect layer 106 may befabricated using CMOS processing techniques. For example, theinterconnects may be formed by dry-etching a contact hole through adielectric layer and filling the contact hole by a copper using chemicalvapor deposition (CVD). Furthermore, the shape of the lens could beconcave, convex, planar with surface structure, or other shapes, and itsshape should not be limited by the exemplary drawings here.

The sensor layer 108 includes multiple groups of photodiodes fordetecting light of different wavelength ranges. For example, a group ofphotodiodes that includes photodiodes 122 a, 122 b, and others not shownin this figure may be configured to detect light of a blue wavelengthrange (e.g., 460 nm±40 nm). As another example, a group of photodiodesthat includes photodiodes 124 a, 124 b, and others not shown in thisfigure may be configured to detect light of a green wavelength range(e.g., 540 nm ±40 nm). As another example, a group of photodiodes thatincludes photodiodes 126 a, 126 b, and others not shown in this figuremay be configured to detect light of a red wavelength range (e.g., 620nm±40 nm). As another example, a group of photodiodes that includesphotodiode 128 a and others not shown in this figure may be configuredto detect light of a NIR wavelength range (e.g., 850 nm±40 nm, 940 nm±40nm, or >1 μm). Each photodiode may be isolated by insulating sidewallspacers, trenches, or other suitable isolation structures.

In some implementations, the wavelength range that a photodiode isconfigured to detect may be controlled by an optical filter in thefilter layer 110. For example, the photodiode 126 a is configured toreceive a red wavelength range, where the center wavelength and thelimits of the wavelength range are controlled by the characteristics ofthe filter above the photodiode 126 a. A filter may be formed bydepositing layers of dielectric materials, such that light having awavelength within a specific wavelength range would pass through thefilter and light having a wavelength outside the specific wavelengthrange would be reflected by the filter. A filter may also be formed byforming a layer of a material on the photodiode, such that light havinga wavelength within a specific wavelength range would pass through thefilter and light having a wavelength outside the specific wavelengthrange would be absorbed by the filter. For example, a silicon layer maybe formed on a germanium-silicon photodiode, where the silicon layerabsorbs visible light but is transparent to NIR light.

In some implementations, the wavelength range that a photodiode isconfigured to detect may be controlled by a material composition of thephotodiode. For example, an increase in germanium composition in agermanium-silicon alloy may increase the sensitivity of the photodiodeat longer wavelengths. In some implementations, the wavelength rangethat a photodiode is configured to detect may be controlled by acombination of the optical filter and the material composition of thephotodiode.

In some implementations, the groups of photodiodes that are configuredto detect visible light (e.g., red, green, and blue) may be siliconphotodiodes, while the group of photodiodes that are configured todetect NIR light may be germanium photodiodes or germanium-siliconphotodiodes.

In some other implementations, one or more groups of photodiodes thatare configured to detect visible light (e.g., green and blue) may besilicon photodiodes, while one or more other groups of photodiodes thatare configured to detect visible light (e.g., red) and the group ofphotodiodes that are configured to detect NIR light may be germaniumphotodiodes or germanium-silicon photodiodes. For example, the group ofphotodiodes that detect red light may be germanium-silicon photodiodeshaving a lower germanium concentration than the germanium-siliconphotodiodes in the group of photodiodes that detect NIR light. In someimplementations, the germanium concentration may range from 10% to 100%.As another example, the group of photodiodes that detect red light maybe germanium-silicon photodiodes having a different thickness from thegermanium-silicon photodiodes in the group of photodiodes that detectNIR light.

FIG. 2 is an example photodiode array 200 that shows a top view of atwo-dimensional photodiode array, where germanium or germanium-siliconphotodiodes are integrated with silicon photodiodes. The photodiodes inthe photodiode array 200 are similar to the photodiodes described in thephotodiode array 100. The photodiodes of the photodiode array 200 arearranged as pixels. In some implementations, silicon photodiodes areformed as pixels for detecting visible light, and germanium orgermanium-silicon photodiodes are embedded in the silicon as pixels fordetecting NIR light. In some other implementations, silicon photodiodesare formed as pixels for detecting blue and green light, and germaniumor germanium-silicon photodiodes are embedded in the silicon as pixelsfor detecting red and NIR light.

FIG. 3 is an example photodiode array 300, where germanium orgermanium-silicon photodiodes are integrated with silicon photodiodes.The photodiodes in the photodiode array 300 are similar to thephotodiodes described in the photodiode array 100. In addition, thephotodiode array 300 includes a group of photodiodes 302 a, 302 b, andothers not shown in this figure that are configured to detect light of awhite wavelength range (e.g., 420 nm to 660 nm). In someimplementations, the photodiodes 302 a and 302 b may be siliconphotodiodes. In some other implementations, the photodiodes 302 a and302 b may be germanium or germanium-silicon photodiodes to improve theoverall light absorption of the diodes. For example, the group ofphotodiodes that detect white light may be germanium-silicon photodiodeshaving a lower germanium concentration than the germanium-siliconphotodiodes in the group of photodiodes that detect NIR light. Asanother example, the group of photodiodes that detect white light may begermanium-silicon photodiodes having a different thickness from thegermanium-silicon photodiodes in the group of photodiodes that detectNIR light.

FIG. 4A illustrates example photodiodes 400 for detecting visible andinfrared optical signals. The example photodiodes 400 includes an NIRpixel 402 and a visible pixel 404 that are formed on a common substrate.The NIR pixel 402 and the visible pixel 404 are separated by anisolation structure 406. The NIR pixel 402 is configured to detect anoptical signal having a wavelength in the NIR range. The visible pixel404 is configured to detect an optical signal having a wavelength in thevisible range (e.g., blue and/or green and/or red). The NIR pixel 402and the visible pixel 404 may be photodiodes in the sensor layer 108 asdescribed in reference to FIG. 1, for example.

The visible pixel 404 includes an n-Si region 412, a p+ Si region 413, ap-Si region 414, an n+ Si region 415, a first gate 416, a first controlsignal 417 coupled to the first gate 416, and a readout circuit 418coupled to the n+ Si region 415. The n-Si region 412 may be lightlydoped with an n-dopant, e.g., about 10¹⁶ cm⁻³with phosphorus. The p+ Siregion 413 may have a p+ doping, where the activated dopantconcentration is as high as a fabrication process may achieve, e.g.,about 5×10²⁰ cm⁻³ with boron. The p-Si region 414 may be lightly dopedwith a p-dopant, e.g., about 10¹⁵ cm⁻³ with boron. The n+ Si region 415may have an n+ doping, where the activated dopant concentration is ashigh as a fabrication process may achieve, e.g., about 5×10²⁰ cm⁻³ withphosphorous.

In general, the n-Si layer 412 receives an optical signal 408 andconverts the optical signal 408 into electrical signals. The opticalsignal 408 enters the n-Si region 412, where the n-Si region 412 absorbsthe optical signal 408 and converts the absorbed light into freecarriers. In some implementations, the optical signal 408 may befiltered by a wavelength filter not shown in this figure, such as afilter in the filter layer 110 as described in reference to FIG. 1. Insome implementations, a beam profile of the optical signal 408 may beshaped by a lens not shown in this figure, such as a lens in the lenslayer 112 as described in reference to FIG. 1.

In general, a difference between the Fermi level of the p+ Si region 413and the Fermi level of the n-Si region 412 creates an electric fieldbetween the two regions, where free electrons generated by the n-Siregion 412 are drifted to a region below the p+ Si region 413 by theelectric field. The first gate 416 may be coupled to the first controlsignal 417. For example, the first gate 416 may be coupled to a voltagesource, where the first control signal 417 may be a DC voltage signalfrom the voltage source. The first control signal 417 controls a flow offree electrons from the region below the p+ Si region 413 to the n+ Siregion 415. For example, if a voltage of the control signal 417 exceedsa threshold voltage, free electrons accumulated in the region below thep+ Si region 413 will drift to the n+ Si region 415.

The n+ Si region 415 may be coupled to the first readout circuit 418.The first readout circuit 418 may be in a three-transistor configurationconsisting of a reset gate, a source-follower, and a selection gate, orany suitable circuitry for processing free carriers. In someimplementations, the first readout circuit 418 may be fabricated on asubstrate that is common to the visible pixel 404. For example, thefirst readout circuit 418 may be fabricated on the integrated circuitlayer 104 as described in reference to FIG. 1. In some otherimplementations, the first readout circuit 418 may be fabricated onanother substrate and co-packaged with the visible pixel 404 viadie/wafer bonding or stacking.

The NIR pixel 402 includes an n-Si region 422, a p+ Si region 423, ap-Si region 424, an n+ Si region 425, a second gate 426, a secondcontrol signal 427 coupled to the second gate 426, a second readoutcircuit 428 coupled to the n+ Si region 425, a p+ GeSi region 431, andan intrinsic GeSi region 433. The n-Si region 422 may be lightly dopedwith an n-dopant, e.g., about 10¹⁶ cm⁻³with phosphorus. The p+ Si region423 may have a p+ doping, where the activated dopant concentration is ashigh as a fabrication process may achieve, e.g., about 5×10¹⁶ cm⁻³ withboron. The p-Si region 424 may be lightly doped with a p-dopant, e.g.,about 10¹⁵ cm⁻³with boron. The n+ Si region 425 may have an n+ doping,where the activated dopant concentration is as high as a fabricationprocess may achieve, e.g., about 5×10¹⁶ cm⁻³ with phosphorous.

In general, the intrinsic GeSi region 433 receives an optical signal 406and converts the optical signal 406 into electrical signals. In someimplementations, the optical signal 406 may be filtered by a wavelengthfilter not shown in this figure, such as an NIR filter in the filterlayer 110 as described in reference to FIG. 1. In some implementations,a beam profile of the optical signal 406 may be shaped by a lens notshown in this figure, such as a lens in the lens layer 112 as describedin reference to FIG. 1.

In some implementations, a thickness of the intrinsic GeSi region 433may be between 0.05 μm to 2 μm. In some implementations, the intrinsicGeSi region 433 may include a p+ GeSi region 431. The p+ GeSi region 431may repel the photo-electrons away from the intrinsic GeSi region 433 toavoid surface recombination and thereby may increase the carriercollection efficiency. For example, the p+ GeSi region 431 may have a p+doping, where the dopant concentration is as high as a fabricationprocess may achieve, e.g., about 5×10¹⁶ cm⁻³ when the intrinsic GeSiregion 433 is germanium and doped with boron.

The generated free carriers in the intrinsic GeSi region 433 may driftor diffuse into the n-Si region 422. In general, a difference betweenthe Fermi level of the p+ Si region 423 and the Fermi level of the n-Siregion 422 creates an electric field between the two regions, where freeelectrons collected from the intrinsic GeSi region 433 by the n-Siregion 422 are drifted to a region below the p+ Si region 423 by theelectric field. The second gate 426 may be coupled to the second controlsignal 427. For example, the second gate 426 may be coupled to a voltagesource, where the second control signal 427 may be a DC voltage signalfrom the voltage source. The second control signal 427 controls a flowof free electrons from the region below the p+ Si region 423 to the n+Si region 425. For example, if a voltage of the second control signal427 exceeds a threshold voltage, free electrons accumulated in theregion below the p+ Si region 423 will drift to the n+ Si region 425.The n+ Si region 425 may be coupled to the second readout circuit 428.The second readout circuit 428 may be similar to the first readoutcircuit 418.

Although not shown in FIG. 4A, in some other implementations, thevisible pixel 404 and the NIR pixel 402 may alternatively be fabricatedto collect holes instead of electrons. In this case, the p+ Si regions413 and 423 would be replaced by n+ Si regions, the n-Si regions 412 and413 would be replaced by p-Si regions, the p-Si regions 414 and 424would be replaced by n-Si regions, and the n+ Si region 415 and 425would be replaced by p+ Si regions. Note that the drawings shown hereare for illustration and working principle explanation purpose.

FIG. 4B illustrates example photodiodes 450 for detecting visible andinfrared optical signals. The photodiodes 450 includes a visible pixel454 and an NIR pixel 452. The visible pixel 454 is similar to thevisible pixel 404 as described in reference to FIG. 4A. The NIR pixel452 is similar to the NIR pixel 402 as described in reference to FIG.4A. Here, the surface of the visible pixel 454 and the NIR pixel 452that receive optical signals 458 and 460 is a planarized surface, wherethe intrinsic GeSi region 462 and the p+ GeSi region 464 are embedded inan oxide layer 456. For example, the oxide layer 456 may be formed onthe p-Si region 466. A thickness of the oxide layer 456 may be selectedto be the thickness of the intrinsic GeSi region 462. A sensor regionmay be formed in the oxide layer 456 by etching or any other suitabletechniques. Germanium-silicon may be selectively grown in the sensorregion to form the intrinsic GeSi region 462. A planarized surfacebetween the visible pixel 454 and the NIR pixel 452 enables additionalprocessing on the photodiode surface and/or bonding with devicesfabricated on a separate substrate.

FIG. 5 illustrates example photodiodes 500 for detecting visible andinfrared optical signals. The example photodiodes 500 includes an NIRpixel 502 and a visible pixel 504 that are formed on a common substrate.The NIR pixel 502 and the visible pixel 504 are separated by anisolation structure 506. The NIR pixel 502 is configured to detect anoptical signal having a wavelength in the NIR range. The visible pixel504 is configured to detect an optical signal having a wavelength in thevisible range (e.g., blue and/or green and/or red). The NIR pixel 502and the visible pixel 504 may be photodiodes in the sensor layer 108 asdescribed in reference to FIG. 1, for example.

The visible pixel 504 includes an n-Si region 512, a p+ Si region 513, ap-Si region 514, an n+ Si region 515, a first gate 516, a first controlsignal 517 coupled to the first gate 516, and a readout circuit 518coupled to the n+ Si region 515. The n-Si region 512 may be lightlydoped with an n-dopant, e.g., about 10¹⁶ cm⁻³ with phosphorus. The p+ Siregion 513 may have a p+ doping, where the activated dopantconcentration is as high as a fabrication process may achieve, e.g.,about 5×10¹⁶ cm⁻³ with boron. The p-Si region 514 may be lightly dopedwith a p-dopant, e.g., about 10¹⁵ cm⁻³ with boron. The n+ Si region 515may have an n+ doping, where the activated dopant concentration is ashigh as a fabrication process may achieve, e.g., about 5×10²⁰ cm⁻³ withphosphorous.

In general, the p+ Si layer 513 receives an optical signal 508. Sincethe thickness of the p+ Si layer 513 is generally thin (e.g., 100 nm),the optical signal 508 propagates into the n-Si region 512, where then-Si region 512 absorbs the optical signal 508 and converts the opticalsignal 508 into free carriers. In some implementations, the opticalsignal 508 may be filtered by a wavelength filter not shown in thisfigure, such as a filter in the filter layer 110 as described inreference to FIG. 1. In some implementations, a beam profile of theoptical signal 508 may be shaped by a lens not shown in this figure,such as a lens in the lens layer 112 as described in reference to FIG.1.

In general, a difference between the Fermi level of the p+ Si region 513and the Fermi level of the n-Si region 512 creates an electric fieldbetween the two regions, where free electrons generated by the n-Siregion 512 are drifted to a region below the p+ Si region 513 by theelectric field. The first gate 516 may be coupled to the first controlsignal 517. For example, the first gate 516 may be coupled to a voltagesource, where the first control signal 517 may be a DC voltage signalfrom the voltage source. The first control signal 517 controls a flow offree electrons from the region below the p+ Si region 513 to the n+ Siregion 515. For example, if a voltage of the control signal 517 exceedsa threshold voltage, free electrons accumulated in the region below thep+ Si region 513 will drift to the n+ Si region 515 for collection. Then+ Si region 515 may be coupled to the first readout circuit 518 thatprocesses the collected electrical signal. The first readout circuit 518may be similar to the first readout circuit 418 as described inreference to FIG. 4A.

The NIR pixel 502 includes an n-Si region 522, a p-Si region 524, an n+Si region 525, a second gate 526, a second control signal 527 coupled tothe second gate 526, a second readout circuit 528 coupled to the n+ Siregion 525, a p+ GeSi region 531, and an intrinsic GeSi region 533. Then-Si region 522 may be lightly doped with an n-dopant, e.g., about 10¹⁶cm⁻³ with phosphorus. The p-Si region 524 may be lightly doped with ap-dopant, e.g., about 10¹⁵ cm⁻³ with boron. The n+ Si region 525 mayhave an n+ doping, where the activated dopant concentration is as highas a fabrication process may achieve, e.g., about 5×10¹⁶ cm⁻³ withphosphorous.

The p+ GeSi region 531 receives an optical signal 535 and converts theoptical signal 406 into electrical signals. Since the thickness of thep+ GeSi layer 531 is generally thin (e.g., 100 nm), the optical signal535 propagates into the intrinsic GeSi region 533, where the intrinsicGeSi region 533 absorbs the optical signal 535 and converts the opticalsignal 535 into free carriers. In some implementations, the opticalsignal 535 may be filtered by a wavelength filter not shown in thisfigure, such as an NIR filter in the filter layer 110 as described inreference to FIG. 1. In some implementations, a beam profile of theoptical signal 535 may be shaped by a lens not shown in this figure,such as a lens in the lens layer 112 as described in reference to FIG.1.

In some implementations, a thickness of the intrinsic GeSi region 533may be between 0.05 μm to 2 μm. In some implementations, the p+ GeSiregion 531 may repel the photo-electrons away from the intrinsic GeSiregion 533 to avoid surface recombination and thereby may increase thecarrier collection efficiency. For example, the p+ GeSi region 531 mayhave a p+ doping, where the dopant concentration is as high as afabrication process may achieve, e.g., about 5×10²⁰ cm⁻³ when theintrinsic GeSi region 533 is germanium and doped with boron.

The generated free carriers in the intrinsic GeSi region 533 may driftor diffuse into the n-Si region 522. In some implementations, a sourcesupply voltage Vss may be applied to the NIR pixel 502 to create anelectric field between the p+ GeSi region 531 and the n-Si region 522,such that the free electrons may drift towards the n-Si region 522 whilethe free holes may drift towards the p+ GeSi region 531.

The second gate 526 may be coupled to the second control signal 527. Forexample, the second gate 526 may be coupled to a voltage source, wherethe second control signal 527 may be a DC voltage signal from thevoltage source. The second control signal 527 controls a flow of freeelectrons from the n-Si region 522 to the n+ Si region 525. For example,if a voltage of the second control signal 527 exceeds a thresholdvoltage, free electrons accumulated in the n-Si region 522 will drifttowards the n+ Si region 525. The n+ Si region 525 may be coupled to thesecond readout circuit 528 for further processing of the collectedelectrical signal. The second readout circuit 528 may be similar to thefirst readout circuit 418 as described in reference to FIG. 4A.

Although not shown in FIG. 5, in some other implementations, the visiblepixel 504 and the NIR pixel 502 may alternatively be fabricated tocollect holes instead of electrons. In this case, the p+ Si region 513would be replaced by an n+ Si region, the n-Si regions 512 and 522 wouldbe replaced by p-Si regions, the p-Si regions 514 and 524 would bereplaced by n-Si regions, and the n+ Si region 515 and 525 would bereplaced by p+ Si regions.

FIG. 6 illustrates example photodiodes 600 for detecting visible andinfrared optical signals. The photodiodes 600 includes a visible pixel654 and an NIR pixel 652. The visible pixel 654 is similar to thevisible pixel 504 as described in reference to FIG. 5. The NIR pixel 652is similar to the NIR pixel 502 as described in reference to FIG. 5.Here, the surface of the visible pixel 654 and the NIR pixel 652 thatreceive optical signals 660 and 658 is a planarized surface, where theintrinsic GeSi region 662 and the p+ GeSi region 664 are embedded in anoxide layer 656. A planarized surface between the visible pixel 654 andthe NIR pixel 652 enables additional processing on the photodiodesurface and/or bonding with devices fabricated on a separate substrate.

In time-of-flight (TOF) applications, depth information of athree-dimensional object may be determined using a phase differencebetween a transmitted light pulse and a detected light pulse. Forexample, a two-dimensional array of pixels may be used to reconstruct athree-dimensional image of a three-dimensional object, where each pixelmay include one or more photodiodes for deriving phase information ofthe three-dimensional object. In some implementations, time-of-flightapplications use light sources having wavelengths in the near-infrared(NIR) range. For example, a light-emitting-diode (LED) may have awavelength of 850 nm, 940 nm, 1050 nm, or 1310 nm. Some photodiodes mayuse silicon as an absorption material, but silicon is an inefficientabsorption material for NIR wavelengths. Specifically, photo-carriersmay be generated deeply (e.g., greater than 10 μm in depth) in thesilicon substrate, and those photo-carriers may drift and/or diffuse tothe photodiode junction slowly, which results in a decrease in thedevice bandwidth. Moreover, a small voltage swing is typically used tocontrol photodiode operations in order to minimize power consumption.For a large absorption area (e.g., 10 μm in diameter), the small voltageswing can only create a small lateral/vertical field across the largeabsorption area, which affects the drift velocity of the photo-carriersbeing swept across the absorption area. The device bandwidth istherefore further limited. For TOF applications using NIR wavelengths, amulti-gate photodiode using germanium-silicon (GeSi) as an absorptionmaterial addresses the technical issues discussed above.

FIG. 7 is an example multi-gate photodiode 700 for converting an opticalsignal to an electrical signal. The multi-gate photodiode 700 includesan absorption layer 706 fabricated on a substrate 702. The substrate 702may be any suitable substrate where semiconductor devices can befabricated on. For example, the substrate 702 may be a siliconsubstrate. The coupling between the absorption layer 706 and a first n+Si region 712 is controlled by a first gate 708. The coupling betweenthe absorption layer 706 and a second n+ Si region 714 is controlled bya second gate 710.

In general, the absorption layer 706 receives an optical signal 712 andconverts the optical signal 712 into electrical signals. The absorptionlayer 706 is selected to have a high absorption coefficient at thedesired wavelength range. For NIR wavelengths, the absorption layer 706may be a GeSi mesa, where the GeSi absorbs photons in the optical signal712 and generates electron-hole pairs. The material composition ofgermanium and silicon in the GeSi mesa may be selected for specificprocesses or applications. In some implementations, the absorption layer706 is designed to have a thickness t. For example, for 850 nmwavelength, the thickness of the GeSi mesa may be approximately 1 μm tohave a substantial quantum efficiency. In some implementations, thesurface of the absorption layer 706 is designed to have a specificshape. For example, the GeSi mesa may be circular, square, orrectangular depending on the spatial profile of the optical signal 712on the surface of the GeSi mesa. In some implementations, the absorptionlayer 706 is designed to have a lateral dimension d for receiving theoptical signal 712. For example, the GeSi mesa may have a circularshape, where d can range from 1 μm to 50 μm.

In some implementations, the absorption layer 706 may include a p+ GeSiregion 731. The p+ GeSi region 731 may repel the photo-electrons fromthe surface of the absorption region 706 and thereby may increase thedevice bandwidth. For example, the p+ GeSi region 731 may have a p+doping, where the dopant concentration is as high as a fabricationprocess may achieve, e.g., about 5×10²⁰ cm⁻³ when the absorption region706 is germanium and doped with boron.

The multi-gate photodiode 700 includes an n-well region 704 implanted inthe substrate 702. For example, the doping level of the n-well region704 may range from 10¹⁵ cm⁻³ to 10²⁰ cm⁻³. In general, the n-well region704 is used to collect electrons generated by the absorption region 706.

The first gate 708 is coupled to a first control signal 722 and a firstreadout circuit 724. For example, the first gate 708 may be coupled to avoltage source, where the first control signal 722 may be a time-varyingmulti-level voltage signal from the voltage source. The first readoutcircuit 724 may be in a three-transistor configuration consisting of areset gate, a source-follower, and a selection gate, or any suitablecircuitry for processing free carriers. In some implementations, thefirst readout circuit 724 may be fabricated on the substrate 702. Insome other implementations, the first readout circuit 724 may befabricated on another substrate and co-packaged with the multi-gatephotodiode 700 via die/wafer bonding or stacking. The second gate 710 iscoupled to a second control signal 732 and a second readout circuit 734.The second control signal 732 is similar to the first control signal722, and the second readout circuit 734 is similar to the first readoutcircuit 724.

The first control signal 722 and the second control signal 732 are usedto control the collection of electrons generated by the absorbedphotons. For example, when the first gate 708 is turned “on” and thesecond gate is turned “off”, electrons would drift from the n-wellregion 704 to the n+ Si region 712. Conversely, when the first gate 708is turned “off” and the second gate is turned “on”, electrons woulddrift from the n-well region 704 to the n+ Si region 714. In someimplementations, a voltage may be applied between the p+ GeSi region 731and the n-well 704 to increase the electric field inside the absorptionlayer 706 for drifting the electrons towards the n-well region 704.

FIG. 8 is an example multi-gate photodiode 800 for converting an opticalsignal to an electrical signal. The multi-gate photodiode 800 includesan absorption layer 806 fabricated on a substrate 802. The substrate 802may be any suitable substrate where semiconductor devices can befabricated on. For example, the substrate 802 may be a siliconsubstrate. The coupling between the absorption layer 806 and a first p+Si region 812 is controlled by a first gate 808. The coupling betweenthe absorption layer 806 and a second p+ Si region 814 is controlled bya second gate 810.

In general, the absorption layer 806 receives an optical signal 812 andconverts the optical signal 812 into electrical signals. The absorptionlayer 806 is similar to the absorption layer 706 as described inreference to FIG. 7. In some implementations, the absorption layer 806may include an n+ GeSi region 831. The n+ GeSi region 831 may repel theholes from the surface of the absorption region 806 and thereby mayincrease the device bandwidth. For example, the n+ GeSi region 831 mayhave a n+ doping, where the dopant concentration is as high as afabrication process may achieve, e.g., about 5×10²⁰ cm⁻³ when theabsorption region 806 is germanium and doped with phosphorus.

The multi-gate photodiode 800 includes a p-well region 804 implanted inthe substrate 802. For example, the doping level of the p-well region804 may range from 10¹⁵ cm⁻³ to 10²⁰ cm⁻³. In general, the p-well region804 is used to collect holes generated by the absorption region 806.

The first gate 808 is coupled to a first control signal 822 and a firstreadout circuit 824. The first gate 808, the first control signal 822,and the first readout circuit 824 are similar to the first gate 708, thefirst control signal 722, and the first readout circuit 724 as describedin reference to FIG. 7. The second gate 810 is coupled to a secondcontrol signal 832 and a second readout circuit 834. The second gate810, the second control signal 832, and the second readout circuit 834are similar to the second gate 710, the second control signal 732, andthe second readout circuit 734 as described in reference to FIG. 7

The first control signal 822 and the second control signal 832 are usedto control the collection of holes generated by the absorbed photons.For example, when the first gate 808 is turned “on” and the second gate810 is turned “off”, holes would drift from the p-well region 804 to thep+ Si region 812. Conversely, when the first gate 808 is turned “off”and the second gate 810 is turned “on”, holes would drift from thep-well region 804 to the p+ Si region 814. In some implementations, avoltage may be applied between the n+ GeSi region 831 and the p-well 804to increase the electric field inside the absorption layer 806 fordrifting the holes towards the p-well region 804.

FIG. 9 illustrates example photodiodes 900 for detecting visible andinfrared optical signals. The example photodiodes 900 includes an NIRpixel 902 for collecting holes and a visible pixel 904 for collectingelectrons, where the NIR pixel 902 and the visible pixel 904 are formedon a common substrate. The NIR pixel 902 and the visible pixel 904 arenot separated by an isolation structure. The NIR pixel 902 is configuredto detect an optical signal having a wavelength in the NIR range. Thevisible pixel 904 is configured to detect an optical signal having awavelength in the visible range (e.g., blue and/or green and/or red).The NIR pixel 902 and the visible pixel 904 may be photodiodes in thesensor layer 108 as described in reference to FIG. 1, for example.

The visible pixel 904 is configured to collect free electrons generatedfrom photo-generated carriers, and includes an n-Si region 912, an n+ Siregion 914, an p-Si region 920, a first gate 916, a first control signal917 coupled to the first gate 916, and a first readout circuit 918coupled to the n+ Si region 914. The n-Si region 912 may be lightlydoped with an n-dopant, e.g., about 10¹⁶ cm⁻³ with phosphorus. The n+ Siregion 914 may have an n+ doping, where the activated dopantconcentration is as high as a fabrication process may achieve, e.g.,about 5×10²⁰ cm⁻³ with phosphorous. The p-Si region 920 may be lightlydoped with a p-dopant, e.g., about 10¹⁶ cm⁻³ with boron.

In general, the p-Si layer 920 receives an optical signal 922. Since thethickness of the p-Si layer 920 is generally thin (e.g., 50-100 nm), theoptical signal 922 propagates into the n-Si region 912, where the n-Siregion 912 absorbs the optical signal 922 and converts the opticalsignal 922 into free carriers. In some implementations, the opticalsignal 922 may be filtered by a wavelength filter not shown in thisfigure, such as a filter in the filter layer 110 as described inreference to FIG. 1. In some implementations, a beam profile of theoptical signal 922 may be shaped by a lens not shown in this figure,such as a lens in the lens layer 112 as described in reference to FIG.1.

In general, a difference between the Fermi level of the p-Si region 920and the Fermi level of the n-Si region 912 creates an electric fieldbetween the two regions, where free electrons generated by the n-Siregion 912 are drifted towards the region below the p-Si region 920 bythe electric field. The first gate 916 may be coupled to the firstcontrol signal 917. For example, the first gate 916 may be coupled to avoltage source, where the first control signal 917 may be a DC voltagesignal from the voltage source. The first control signal 917 controls aflow of free electrons from the region below the p-Si region 920 to then+ Si region 914. For example, if a voltage of the control signal 917exceeds a threshold voltage, free electrons accumulated in the regionbelow the p-Si region 920 will drift to the n+ Si region 914 forcollection. The n+ Si region 914 may be coupled to the first readoutcircuit 918 that processes the collected electrical signal. The firstreadout circuit 918 may be similar to the first readout circuit 418 asdescribed in reference to FIG. 4A.

The NIR pixel 902 is configured to collect free holes generated fromphoto-generated carriers, and includes an n-Si region 942, a p+ Siregion 944, a second gate 946, a second control signal 947 coupled tothe second gate 946, a second readout circuit 948 coupled to the p+ Siregion 944, a n+ GeSi region 950, an intrinsic GeSi region 952, a p-Geregion 954, and an oxide region 956. In addition, the NIR pixel 902shares the p-Si region 920 with the VIS pixel 904.

The n-Si region 942 may be lightly doped with an n-dopant, e.g., about10¹⁵ cm⁻³ with phosphorus. The p+ Si region 944 may have an p+ doping,where the activated dopant concentration is as high as a fabricationprocess may achieve, e.g., about 5×10²⁰ cm⁻³ with boron. The n+ GeSiregion 950 receives an optical signal 960 and converts the opticalsignal 960 into electrical signals. Since the thickness of the n+ GeSilayer 950 is generally thin (e.g., 50-100 nm), the optical signal 960propagates into the intrinsic GeSi region 952, where the intrinsic GeSiregion 952 absorbs the optical signal 960 and converts the opticalsignal 960 into free carriers. In some implementations, the opticalsignal 960 may be filtered by a wavelength filter not shown in thisfigure, such as an NIR filter in the filter layer 110 as described inreference to FIG. 1. In some implementations, a beam profile of theoptical signal 960 may be shaped by a lens not shown in this figure,such as a lens in the lens layer 112 as described in reference to FIG.1.

In some implementations, a thickness of the intrinsic GeSi region 952may be between 0.05 pm to 2 pm. In some implementations, the n+ GeSiregion 950 may repel the holes generated away from the intrinsic GeSiregion 952 to avoid surface recombination and thereby may increase thecarrier collection efficiency. For example, the n+ GeSi region 950 mayhave a n+ doping, where the dopant concentration is as high as afabrication process may achieve, e.g., about 5×10²⁰ cm⁻³ when theintrinsic GeSi region 950 is germanium and doped with phosphorus.

The photo-generated free holes in the intrinsic GeSi region 952 maydrift or diffuse into the p-Si region 920. The photo-generated freeelectrons in the intrinsic GeSi region 952 may be repelled by the p-GeSiregion 954, which prevents the free electrons from entering the p-Siregion 920. In some implementations, a drain supply voltage VDD may beapplied to the NIR pixel 902 to create an electric field between the n+GeSi region 950 and the p-Si region 920, such that the free holes maydrift towards the p-Si region 920 while the free electrons may drifttowards the n+ GeSi region 950.

The second gate 946 may be coupled to the second control signal 947. Forexample, the second gate 946 may be coupled to a voltage source, wherethe second control signal 947 may be a DC voltage signal from thevoltage source. The second control signal 947 controls a flow of freeholes from the p-Si region 920 to the p+ Si region 944. For example, ifa voltage of the second control signal 947 exceeds a threshold voltage,free holes accumulated in the p-Si region 920 will drift towards the p+Si region 944. The p+ Si region 944 may be coupled to the second readoutcircuit 948 for further processing of the collected electrical signal.

Although not shown in FIG. 9, in some other implementations, the visiblepixel 904 may alternatively be fabricated to collect holes instead ofelectrons and the NIR pixel 902 may alternatively be fabricated tocollect electrons instead of holes. In this case, the p-Si region 920would be replaced by an n-Si region, the n-Si regions 942 and 912 wouldbe replaced by p-Si regions, the p+ Si region 944 would be replaced byan n+ Si region, the n+ Si region 914 would be replaced by a p+ Siregion, the n+ GeSi region 950 would be replaced by a p+ GeSi region,and the p-GeSi region 954 would be replaced by an n-GeSi region.

In some implementations, the direction of light signal shown in FIGS.4A, 4B, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 may be reversed depending on designs,packaging, and applications. For example, referring to FIG. 4A, theoptical signal 406 may enter the NIR pixel 402 through the p+ Si region423, propagate through the n-Si region 422, and then be absorbed by theintrinsic GeSi region 433.

FIG. 10 shows a top view of an example integrated photodiode array 1000for detecting visible and NIR light as well as for a TOF application.The photodiode array 1000 includes a NIR/TOF pixel 1002 and a VIS pixel1004. The NIR/TOF pixel 1002 includes an NIR gate 1006, a first TOF gate1012, and a second TOF gate 1014. The VIS pixel 1004 includes a VIS gate1008. The NIR/TOF pixel 1002 and the VIS pixel 1004 are not isolated byan isolation structure. The controls of the charge readout using the NIRgate 1006 and the VIS gate 1008 are similar to the multi-gate photodiode900 as described in reference to FIG. 9. The controls of the chargereadout using the TOF gates 1012 and 1014 are similar to the multi-gatephotodiode 700 as described in reference to FIG. 7 or the multi-gatephotodiode 800 as described in reference to FIG. 8. The readout circuitscoupled to the NIR gate 1006 and the TOF gates 1012 and 1014 wouldcollect the same type of carriers, and the readout circuit coupled tothe VIS gate 1008 would collect the opposite type of carriers. Forexample, if the readout circuits of the NIR gate 1006 and the TOF gates1012 and 1014 are configured to collect electrons, the readout circuitcoupled to the VIS gate 1008 would be configured to collect holes.Conversely, if the readout circuits of the NIR gate 1006 and the TOFgates 1012 and 1014 are configured to collect holes, the readout circuitcoupled to the VIS gate 1008 would be configured to collect electrons.

FIG. 11 shows a top view of an example integrated photodiode array 1100for detecting visible light and for a TOF application. The photodiodearray 1100 includes a NIR/TOF pixel 1102 and a VIS pixel 1104. TheNIR/TOF pixel 1102 includes a first TOF gate 1112, and a second TOF gate1114. The VIS pixel 1104 includes a VIS gate 1108. The NIR/TOF pixel1102 and the VIS pixel 1104 are not isolated by an isolation structure.The controls of the charge readout using the VIS gate 1108 are similarto the multi-gate photodiode 900 as described in reference to FIG. 9.The controls of the charge readout using the TOF gates 1112 and 1114 aresimilar to the multi-gate photodiode 700 as described in reference toFIG. 7 or the multi-gate photodiode 800 as described in reference toFIG. 8. The readout circuits coupled to the TOF gates 1112 and 1114would collect the same type of carriers, and the readout circuit coupledto the VIS gate 1108 would collect the opposite type of carriers. Forexample, if the readout circuits of the TOF gates 1112 and 1114 areconfigured to collect electrons, the readout circuit coupled to the VISgate 1108 would be configured to collect holes. Conversely, if thereadout circuits of the TOF gates 1112 and 1114 are configured tocollect holes, the readout circuit coupled to the VIS gate 1108 would beconfigured to collect electrons.

FIG. 12 shows a top view of an example integrated photodiode array 1200for detecting visible and NIR light as well as for a TOF application.The photodiode array 1200 includes a NIR/TOF pixel 1202 and a VIS pixel1204. The NIR/TOF pixel 1202 includes an NIR gate 1206, a first TOF gate1212, and a second TOF gate 1214. The VIS pixel 1204 includes a VIS gate1208. The NIR/TOF pixel 1202 and the VIS pixel 1204 are isolated by anisolation structure. The controls of the charge readout using the NIRgate 1206 and the VIS gate 1208 are similar to the photodiodes 400 asdescribed in reference to FIG. 4A, or the photodiodes 450 as describedin reference to FIG. 4B, or the photodiodes 500 as described inreference to FIG. 5, or the photodiodes 600 as described in reference toFIG. 6. The controls of the charge readout using the TOF gates 1206 and1208 are similar to the multi-gate photodiode 700 as described inreference to FIG. 7 or the multi-gate photodiode 800 as described inreference to FIG. 8. The readout circuits coupled to the NIR gate 1206and the TOF gates 1212 and 1214 would collect the same type of carriers,and the readout circuit coupled to the VIS gate 1208 may or may notcollect the same type of carriers. For example, if the readout circuitsof the NIR gate 1206 and the TOF gates 1212 and 1214 are configured tocollect electrons, the readout circuit coupled to the VIS gate 1208 maybe configured to collect holes or electrons depending on the designbecause the NIR/TOF pixel 1202 and the VIS pixel 1204 are isolated.Similarly, if the readout circuits of the NIR gate 1206 and the TOFgates 1212 and 1214 are configured to collect holes, the readout circuitcoupled to the VIS gate 1208 may be configured to collect holes orelectrons.

FIG. 13 shows a top view of an example integrated photodiode array 1300for detecting visible light as well as for a TOF application. Thephotodiode array 1300 includes a NIR/TOF pixel 1302 and a VIS pixel1304. The NIR/TOF pixel 1302 includes a first TOF gate 1306, a secondTOF gate 1312, a third TOF gate 1314, and a fourth TOF gate 1316. Thefour TOF gates may be used to extract additional phase information aboutthe collected signal. The VIS pixel 1304 includes a VIS gate 1308. TheNIR/TOF pixel 1302 and the VIS pixel 1304 are isolated by an isolationstructure. The controls of the charge readout using the VIS gate 1308are similar to the photodiodes 400 as described in reference to FIG. 4A,or the photodiodes 450 as described in reference to FIG. 4B, or thephotodiodes 500 as described in reference to

FIG. 5, or the photodiodes 600 as described in reference to FIG. 6. Thecontrols of the charge readout using the TOF gates 1306, 1312, 1314, and1316 are similar to the multi-gate photodiode 700 as described inreference to FIG. 7 or the multi-gate photodiode 800 as described inreference to FIG. 8. The readout circuits coupled to the TOF gates 1306,1312, 1314, and 1316 would collect the same type of carriers, and thereadout circuit coupled to the VIS gate 1308 may or may not collect thesame type of carriers. For example, if the readout circuits of the TOFgates 1306, 1312, 1314, and 1316 are configured to collect electrons,the readout circuit coupled to the VIS gate 1308 may be configured tocollect holes or electrons depending on the design because the NIR/TOFpixel 1302 and the VIS pixel 1304 are isolated. Similarly, if thereadout circuits of the TOF gates 1306, 1312, 1314, and 1316 areconfigured to collect holes, the readout circuit coupled to the VIS gate1308 may be configured to collect holes or electrons.

FIGS. 14A-14D illustrate an example design 1400 for fabricating aphotodiode array. Referring to FIG. 14A, a germanium-silicon layer 1402was formed on a donor wafer 1404. The donor wafer 1404 may be a siliconwafer. The germanium-silicon layer 1402 may be formed using epitaxialgrowth through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system.

Referring to FIG. 14B, the isolation structures 1408 are formed in thegermanium-silicon layer 1402 to define the photodiode regions. Theisolation structures 1408 may be formed through dry-etch of theisolation structure patterns followed by a deposition of insulatingmaterials such as oxide, or by implantations to form a doping junction,or any other suitable techniques. Although not shown in the figure,there may be one or more processing steps that further process thephotodiodes. For example, there may be a doping step to define a p+ GeSiregion on the surface of an intrinsic GeSi region. An interconnect layer1406 is then formed on the germanium-silicon layer 1402, where multipleinterconnects are formed in a dielectric layer to establish electricalconnections with the germanium-silicon layer 1402, and where alignmentmarks for bonding alignment are formed.

Referring to FIG. 14C, an interconnect layer 1416 of a carrier substrate1414 is bonded with the interconnect layer 1406 of the donor wafer 1404.Note that the interconnect layer referred herein may include conductiveelectrical path (e.g., metallic layer) and dielectric layer to isolateindividual conductive electrical path. The carrier substrate 1414 may bea silicon substrate, where one or more layers 1418 of circuitry may beformed on the silicon substrate. The circuitry may be control circuitry,readout circuitry, and/or any other suitable circuitry for thephotodiode array. Alignment marks may be formed in both the layers 1406and 1416 by any suitable techniques. The bonding between the layers 1406and 1416 may be done by any suitable techniques such as thermal bondingor hybrid bonding including metal-metal bonding and oxide-oxide bonding.

Referred to FIG. 14D, a filter layer 1420 and a lens layer 1422 areformed on the germanium-silicon layer 1402 to form the photodiode array.Although not shown, the donor wafer 1404 may be removed by polishing orother suitable techniques after bonding and before forming the filterlayer 1420. In some other implementations, although not shown in thesefigures, germanium may replace germanium-silicon as the sensor materialin the descriptions related to FIGS. 14A-14D.

FIGS. 15A-15D illustrate an example design 1500 for selectively forminggermanium-silicon on a substrate. The design 1500 may be used tofabricate the photodiode array 100, 200, or 300, for example. Referringto FIG. 15A, a recess 1504 is formed on a substrate 1502. The recess1504 may define the photodiode area for an NIR pixel. The recess may beformed using lithography followed by a dry etching of the substrate1502. The shape of the recess may correspond to the shape of the pixel,such as a square, a circle, or other suitable shapes.

Referring to FIG. 15B, a dielectric layer may be deposited over thesubstrate, and a directional etch may be performed to form a sidewallspacer 1506. The directional etch may be an anisotropic dry etch.Referring to FIG. 15C, a germanium or germanium-silicon region 1508 isselectively grown from the substrate 1502. For example, thegermanium-silicon region 1508 may be formed using epitaxial growththrough chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system.

Referring to FIG. 15D, the germanium or germanium-silicon region 1508 isplanarized with the substrate 1502. The germanium or germanium-siliconregion 1508 may be planarized using chemical mechanical polishing (CMP)or any other suitable techniques. In some other implementations,although not shown in these figures, germanium may replacegermanium-silicon as the sensor material in the descriptions related toFIGS. 15A-15D.

FIGS. 16A-16D illustrate an example design 1600 for fabricating aphotodiode array. The design 1600 may be used to fabricate thephotodiodes 400, 450, 500, 600, 700, 800 and 900 as describedrespectively in reference to FIG. 4A, 4B, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, for example.Referring to FIG. 16A, silicon photodiodes 1602 are formed on a donorwafer 1604, and a germanium-silicon photodiode 1606 was selectivelygrown on the donor wafer 1604. The visible pixel 454 may be an exampleof a diode of the silicon photodiodes 1602, and the NIR pixel 452 may bean example of a diode of the GeSi photodiodes 1606. The selective growthof germanium-silicon photodiode may be done using the design 1500 asdescribed in reference to FIG. 15A-15D or any other suitable designs orprocesses.

Referring to FIG. 16B, an interconnect layer 1610 is formed on thegermanium-silicon photodiode 1606, where multiple interconnects areformed in a dielectric layer to establish electrical connections withthe germanium-silicon photodiode 1606 and the silicon photodiodes 1602,and where alignment marks for bonding alignment are formed.

Referring to FIG. 16C, an interconnect layer 1616 of a carrier substrate1614 is bonded with the interconnect layer 1610 of the donor wafer 1604.The carrier substrate 1614 may be a silicon substrate, where one or morelayers 1618 of circuitry may be formed on the silicon substrate. Thecircuitry may be control circuitry, readout circuitry, and/or any othersuitable circuitry for the photodiode array. Alignment marks may beformed in both the layers 1610 and 1616 by any suitable techniques. Thebonding between the layers 1610 and 1616 may be done by any suitabletechniques such as thermal bonding or hybrid bonding includingmetal-metal bonding and oxide-oxide bonding.

Referred to FIG. 16D, a filter layer 1620 and a lens layer 1622 areformed on the silicon photodiode 1602 to form the photodiode array.Although not shown, the donor wafer 1604 may be removed by polishing orother suitable techniques after bonding and before forming the filterlayer 1620. In some other implementations, although not shown in thesefigures, germanium may replace germanium-silicon as the sensor materialin the descriptions related to FIGS. 16A-16D.

FIGS. 17A-17E illustrate an example design 1700 for fabricating aphotodiode array. The design 1700 may be used to fabricate thephotodiodes 400, 450, 500, 600, 700, 800 and 900 as respectivelydescribed in reference to FIG. 4A, 4B, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, for example.Referring to FIG. 17A, a germanium-silicon layer 1702 was formed on afirst donor wafer 1704. A first interconnect layer 1706 is formed on thegermanium-silicon layer 1702 with multiple interconnects and alignmentmarks.

Referring to FIG. 17B, an interconnect layer 1716 of a carrier substrate1714 is bonded with the interconnect layer 1706 of the first donor wafer1704. The carrier substrate 1714 may be a silicon substrate, where oneor more layers 1718 of circuitry may be formed on the silicon substrate.The circuitry may be control circuitry, readout circuitry, and/or anyother suitable circuitry for the photodiode array. The bonding betweenthe layers 1706 and 1716 may be done by any suitable techniques such asthermal bonding or hybrid bonding including metal-metal bonding andoxide-oxide bonding.

Referring to FIG. 17C, the first donor wafer 1704 is removed bypolishing or other suitable techniques after bonding. Referring to FIG.17D, a first germanium-silicon photodiode 1720 is formed. The firstgermanium-silicon photodiode 1720 may be formed using a pattern and anetch of the germanium-silicon layer 1702, followed by a deposition of apassivation layer such as a dielectric layer. The dielectric layer maybe planarized through CMP or other suitable techniques. A via 1722 maybe formed by an anisotropic etch followed by a deposition of conductivematerials such as copper.

Referring to FIG. 17E, the dielectric layer 1744 of the carriersubstrate 1714 is bonded with an interconnect layer 1732 of a seconddonor wafer 1734. A germanium-silicon photodiode array 1736 are formedon the second donor wafer 1734. The via 1738 is bonded with the via 1722to establish electrical connections between the first germanium-siliconphotodiode 1720, the germanium-silicon photodiode array 1736, and theintegrated circuits 1718.

Referred to FIG. 17F, a filter layer 1740 and a lens layer 1742 areformed on the germanium-silicon photodiode array 1736 to form thephotodiode array. Although not shown, the second donor wafer 1734 may beremoved by polishing or other suitable techniques after bonding andbefore forming the filter layer 1740. In some other implementations,although not shown in these figures, germanium may replacegermanium-silicon as the sensor material in the descriptions related toFIGS. 17A-17F.

FIG. 18A shows an example imaging system 1800 for determiningcharacteristics of a target object 1810. The target object 1810 may be athree-dimensional object. The imaging system 1800 may include atransmitter unit 1802, a receiver unit 1804, and a processing unit 1806.In general, the transmitter unit 1802 emits light 1812 towards thetarget object 1810. The transmitter unit 1802 may include one or morelight sources, control circuitry, and/or optical elements. For example,the transmitter unit 1802 may include one or more NIR or visible LEDs,where the emitted light 1812 may be collimated by a collimating lens topropagate in free space.

In general, the receiver unit 1804 receives the reflected light 1814that is reflected from the target object 1810. The receiver unit 1804may include one or more photodiodes, control circuitry, and/or opticalelements. For example, the receiver unit 1804 may include an imagesensor, where the image sensor includes multiple pixels fabricated on asemiconductor substrate. Each pixel may include one or more multi-gatephotodiodes for detecting the reflected light 1814, where the reflectedlight 1814 may be focused to the photodiodes. Each photodiode may be themulti-gate photodiode disclosed in this patent application.

In general, the processing unit 1806 processes the photo-carriersgenerated by the receiver unit 1804 and determines characteristics ofthe target object 1810. The processing unit 1806 may include controlcircuitry, one or more processors, and/or computer storage medium thatmay store instructions for determining the characteristics of the targetobject 1810. For example, the processing unit 1806 may include readoutcircuits and processors that can process information associated with thecollected photo-carriers to determine the characteristics of the targetobject 1810. In some implementations, the characteristics of the targetobject 1810 may be depth information of the target object 1810. In someimplementations, the characteristics of the target object 1810 may bematerial compositions of the target object 1810.

FIG. 18B shows one example technique for determining characteristics ofthe target object 1810. The transmitter unit 1802 may emit light pulses1812 modulated at a frequency f_(m) with a duty cycle of 50% as anexample. The receiver unit 1804 may receive reflected light pulses 1814having a phase shift of Φ. The multi-gate photodiodes are controlledsuch that a readout circuit 1 reads the collected charges Q₁ in a phasesynchronized with the emitted light pulses, and a readout circuit 2reads the collected charges Q₂ in an opposite phase with the emittedlight pulses. In some implementations, the distance, D, between theimaging system 1800 and the target object 1810 may be derived using theequation

${D = {\frac{c}{4f_{m}}\frac{Q_{2}}{Q_{1} + Q_{2}}}},$where c is the speed of light.

FIG. 18C shows another example technique for determining characteristicsof the target object 1810. The transmitter unit 1802 may emit lightpulses 1812 modulated at a frequency f_(m) with a duty cycle of lessthan 50%. By reducing the duty cycle of the optical pulses by a factorof N, but increasing the intensity of the optical pulses by a factor ofN at the same time, the signal-to-noise ratio of the received reflectedlight pulses 1814 may be improved while maintaining substantially thesame power consumption for the imaging system 1800. This is madepossible when the device bandwidth is increased so that the duty cycleof the optical pulses can be decreased without distorting the pulseshape. The receiver unit 1804 may receive reflected light pulses 1814having a phase shift of Φ. The multi-gate photodiodes are controlledsuch that a readout circuit 1 reads the collected charges in a phasesynchronized with the emitted light pulses, and a readout circuit 2reads the collected charges Q₂′ in a delayed phase with the emittedlight pulses. In some implementations, the distance, D, between theimaging system 1800 and the target object 1810 may be derived using theequation

$D = {\frac{c}{4{Nf}_{m}}{\frac{Q_{2}^{\prime}}{Q_{1}^{\prime} + Q_{2}^{\prime}}.}}$

FIG. 19 shows an example of a flow diagram 1900 for determiningcharacteristics of an object using an imaging system. The process 1900may be performed by a system such as the imaging system 1800.

The system receives reflected light (1902). For example, the transmitterunit 1802 may emit NIR light pulses 1812 towards the target object 1810.The receiver unit 1804 may receive the reflected NIR light pulses 1814that is reflected from the target object 1810.

The system determines phase information (1904). For example, thereceiver unit 1804 may include an image sensor, where the image sensorincludes multiple pixels fabricated on a semiconductor substrate. Eachpixel may include one or more photodiodes for detecting the reflectedlight pulses 1814. The type of photodiodes may be the multi-gatephotodiodes disclosed in this patent application, where the phaseinformation may be determined using techniques described in reference toFIG. 18B or FIG. 18C.

The system determines object characteristics (1906). For example, theprocessing unit 1806 may determine depth information of the object 1810based on the phase information using techniques described in referenceto FIG. 18B or FIG. 18C.

A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it willbe understood that various modifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the disclosure. For example, various formsof the flows shown above may be used, with steps re-ordered, added, orremoved.

Various implementations may have been discussed using two-dimensionalcross-sections for easy description and illustration purpose.Nevertheless, the three-dimensional variations and derivations shouldalso be included within the scope of the disclosure as long as there arecorresponding two-dimensional cross-sections in the three-dimensionalstructures.

While this specification contains many specifics, these should not beconstrued as limitations, but rather as descriptions of featuresspecific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are describedin this specification in the context of separate embodiments may also beimplemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, variousfeatures that are described in the context of a single embodiment mayalso be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in anysuitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be describedabove as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed assuch, one or more features from a claimed combination may in some casesbe excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may bedirected to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understood as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processingmay be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various systemcomponents in the embodiments described above should not be understoodas requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should beunderstood that the described program components and systems maygenerally be integrated together in a single software product orpackaged into multiple software products.

Thus, particular embodiments have been described. Other embodiments arewithin the scope of the following claims. For example, the actionsrecited in the claims may be performed in a different order and stillachieve desirable results.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for fabricating an image sensor arrayhaving a first group of photodiodes for detecting light at visiblewavelengths, and a second group of photodiodes for detecting light atinfrared or near-infrared wavelengths, the method comprising: forming agermanium-silicon layer for the second group of photodiodes on a firstsemiconductor donor wafer; defining a first interconnect layer on thegermanium-silicon layer, wherein the first interconnect layer includes aplurality of interconnects configured to be coupled to the first groupof photodiodes and the second group of photodiodes; defining integratedcircuitry for controlling pixels of the image sensor array on asemiconductor carrier wafer; after defining the integrated circuitry,defining a second interconnect layer on the semiconductor carrier wafer,wherein the second interconnect layer includes a plurality ofinterconnects coupled to the integrated circuitry; bonding the firstinterconnect layer with the second interconnect layer; defining thepixels of an image sensor array on a second semiconductor donor wafer;after defining the pixels of the image sensor array, defining a thirdinterconnect layer on the image sensor array; and bonding the thirdinterconnect layer with the germanium-silicon layer, such that the firstgroup of photodiodes and the second group of photodiodes are coupled tothe integrated circuitry.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:after bonding the first interconnect layer with the second interconnectlayer, removing the first semiconductor donor wafer.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein forming the germanium-silicon layer for the secondgroup of photodiodes on the first semiconductor donor wafer comprisesgrowing a blanket layer of germanium-silicon on the first semiconductordonor wafer, and wherein the method further comprises: after bonding thefirst interconnect layer with the second interconnect layer, definingregions for at least the second group of photodiodes on thegermanium-silicon layer.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein forming thegermanium-silicon layer for the second group of photodiodes on the firstsemiconductor donor wafer comprises: depositing an insulating layer onthe semiconductor donor wafer; defining, on the insulating layer,regions for the second group of photodiodes; and growing agermanium-silicon layer on the regions for the second group ofphotodiodes.